


Blurring the Boundaries

by PetrichorEnigma



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-10-25
Packaged: 2018-04-28 00:21:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5070640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetrichorEnigma/pseuds/PetrichorEnigma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unfinished sequel to MTJAN.<br/>While looking for parts to reconstruct Zane after the events of MTJAN, Jay stumbles (literally) across Dr. Julien's lab assistant, a prototype android named Collin.<br/>What is Collin hiding?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blurring the Boundaries

**Author's Note:**

> I decided that since I'm never going to actually finish this series, I might as well post what I ended up writing. Just so you know, I haven't touched this fic since 2013, and I don't plan on picking it back up. I hope you enjoy it, but I am not part of this fandom anymore and will not be writing more for it.  
> This fic, a sequel to More Than Just a Nindroid, is incomplete. I just wanted to give what I have to the people who were asking for more of MTJAN.  
> (Also the "chapters" are really short so I just pasted it all together. Each "chapter" marks a POV shift)

Chapter 1:  
I wake up to the sight of Zane staring at me, his pale form floating mere inches from the wooden floor. “Good morning! Are you going to finish it today?” Oh, joy, this again. Ever since I started working on Zane’s new body after the old one was destroyed, he’s been practically paranoid that it won’t get finished. It seems that to remedy this problem, he’s decided to ask me every single day for three months. I feel bad for him, I really do, not being able to do anything on his own, but I don’t want to rush. With such a delicate task at hand, you can’t just rush through it. I sigh, not wanting to disappoint those waiting, ice-blue eyes that pierce me like a knife. “Zane, I promise, I’ll really try to.” “Thank you, Jay.” I smile, then crawl out of bed and into my blue kimono. “No problem, buddy.” As I turn to walk out of the room, the corner of my eye catches Zane staring miserably at the group picture on the bureau, no doubt wishing that he could feel again, arms over our shoulders, triumphant after a battle. It doesn’t seem fair. Zane did absolutely nothing, and he wound up dead. Dead, slaughtered at the scaly hands of that awful Serpentine, Pythor. I practically spit in disgust at the thought. He’s my brother, ya know? He didn’t deserve that, no matter how much he insists that he did. “I shouldn’t have gone off alone,” he says, before I insist that it wasn’t his fault. “Anyone would have done it. We all make mistakes. After all, we’re only human...” I clasp my hands over my mouth, realizing my mistake too late.  
Chapter 2:  
I refuse to believe that Jay’s statement was an accident. It feels like he was deliberately excluding me by calling attention to the fact that I am different. “Come on Zane, I said I was sorry. It was an honest mistake!” This is the third time he has tried to apologize today, and the third time that I have refused to accept his apology. “Dude, you know that I don’t even think about what you are!” “And what is that? If you don’t even think about it, then why would you realize that you made that mistake? You think that I am different! You think that I am a freak!” He closes his eyes, presses his hands to his temples.He stays like this for a minute before quietly replying, “You know I don’t think that.” “How do you expect me to believe that when your actions contradict your words?” He is clearly caught off-guard by this question. “When you have an answer to that question, then perhaps I will accept your apology.” Nya creeps around the corner, through the doorframe, and rests her arm around Jay. “Zane, you know who you are. There’s nothing you can do about that. But what you don’t realize is that who you are is part of what makes you Zane! And you know that we all love you that much more because of it. So ya know what I think? I think you should realize that it was an honest mistake, that any of us could have made. So I say let Jay apologize.” She plants a firm kiss on his cheek before turning around and walking back out.  
Chapter 3

I'm so hurt by Zane thinking that I would intentionally call him out like that. Doesn't he know me at all? Nya tried to cheer me up by kissing me, Sensei gave me a lecture about friendship, Kai let me use the TV to watch my favorite show, even though he wanted to play video games, and Cole even offered me a piece of his cake. It seems that not even a combination of kisses, boring lectures, awesome ponies, and sweet coconut frosting can wash away the ache of an angry friend. His words about actions strike me like a mallet, and I suddenly realize how I can make him see how much I care about him: finishing his new body. I practically tiptoe to my workshop, which is really just a broken bathroom, and pull out my tools. This is a really important project, for a really important guy. I flip my protective goggles over my eyes, the leather brushing against my scar. As I warm up my soldering iron, I have an epiphany. What if instead of having to create each piece by hand, I go to Zane's old house in the forest and find some parts? There's bound to be at least a few extras, and it would sure speed things along. Come to think of it, I bet that if I got my hands on Dr. Julien's original blueprints, I could do a much better job. I slip into the control room and set a new course, towards the snowy forest where we fought Pythor in his final battle. It looks like we're about 350 miles out, so it'll be at least a few hours. As the jets on the outside of the ship shift around and fire up, I think about how I could have possibly let something so stupid, so thoughtless, so hurtful, slip out of my mouth. I curse my apparent lack of ability to think before speaking. It's just-how? Why? I'm so frustrated that I can hardly breathe properly. I've never thought of Zane as "just another machine", although he seems to think I do. "You see me as no different from any other machine, don't you," he yelled this morning, "I am not your brother, I am your calculator!" With that, he flew out of the room, an angry, cold trail behind him. His furious, hurt words stung so much that I actually cried a bit, and even the memory gives me misty eyes. How could he possibly think that I feel that way about him? I trudge miserably back to the bedroom, more depressed than I've been in years, and flop onto my bunk. I can't sleep, of course, but I can lie here and cry to my pillow as much as I want. After I let that go on for about an hour, I sneak to the kitchen and steal a big bowl of Lloyd's ice cream. As I tiptoe back into the bedroom, Zane turns the corner. I don't bother trying to apologize again, because I know he won't listen. When I crawl back up the ladder to my bed, I eat nonstop until the spoon clinks against the bottom of the bowl. I guess now I know why Nya likes to eat ice cream during sad movies, it really does help a bit. Not nearly enough, but a bit. "JAAAAAAY!!!" Lloyd's young voice rings through the wooden walls of the Bounty, rustling me temporarily out of my delicious ice cream trance. "WHAAAAT?!?!" "DID YOU EAT MY ICE CREAM?!?!" "YEAH, SO SUE ME!" Lloyd bursts angrily into the room, but his expression softens when he sees my red, tear-scratched face. "Hey, man, you alright?" "No. Now get out." "My room too." "Come on dude, I really need to be alone right now." "Too bad. Hey, were you the one who changed the course?" "Maybe." "Why?" Ugh, why do kids have to ask so many questions? "Because. Now beat it." When he finally realizes that I'm nowhere near a good mood, he leaves the room.  
Chapter 4:  
As the Bounty slowly continues to work its way to the forest, Kai walks in, clearly confused. “Jay,” he asks, “why are we here? If this is about your fight with Zane-” “It’s not. Well, okay, I guess it is, but still. Look, I’m really having a rough day. Could you go?” With a puzzled glance, he slowly backs out of the room, the door knob gently clicking shut behind him. I lay on my back, stare at the ceiling, and let my mind go blank. No more than five minutes after Kai leaves, there’s another gentle “tok-tok-tok” on the door. At this point, I’m really irritated, and definitely not in the mood for any more conversation. I roll over in bed to face the wall, pull my thin blanket over my chest, close my eyes, and lay as quietly as I can. Maybe if whoever’s out there thinks I’m asleep, they’ll leave me alone, sparing me from another annoying conversation. As the knob turns tenderly, a soft, sorry voice calls out, as if it’s afraid to cause an avalanche. “Jay? Are you in here?” My breath catches, because the voice belongs to Zane. How the heck did he open the door? Trying not to tremble, I soften my breathing as much as possible, as if I really were asleep. “Go on, Zane, tell him.” Ah, so Nya is with him. “But he is asleep. Perhaps I should come back later.” “No, just do it.” I feel a bracing chill as he moves within a foot of my bed, sending a shiver radiating through my whole body. “Jay, I just-I want you to know that I am not angry with you anymore. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for not believing you. You are my friend, but you are also more than that. You are my brother. I should have never doubted you, I know you would never do something like that to me.” I feel his ice-cold hands try to pull the blanket up higher on my chest. Surprisingly, he is actually able to move it a few inches, probably because the blanket is so light. At this point, I’m really trying to hold back a couple of tears, at least until he and Nya leave the room. As soon as I hear the door shut behind them, I roll back to facing the ceiling, clutch my pillow to my chest, and smile for the first time since this whole mess started.  
Chapter 5:  
“So, Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna are the same pony?” “Yeah, Nightmare Moon is Princess Luna’s corrupted form.” After I accepted Jay’s apology, he came out of his room. It turns out he was not really sleeping, but it does not matter to. Now, we are both sitting on the battered couch in the TV room, watching Jay’s favorite show. “Why did she become evil?” “She was jealous. Everyone loved Princess Celestia and the daytime, but they all slept through her night. Basically, sibling rivalry.” I mull over this, wondering what it would be like to become evil solely from jealousy. I cannot imagine how terrible Luna must have felt, knowing that everyone liked her sister more. For now, I push these thoughts aside and try to focus on watching an energetic pink pony sing about laughing at your fears. “Oh, Zane,” Jay says, “I forgot to mention. I set the Bounty to take us to your old house, so I can finish your new body faster. Actually, we should be there any minute.” So that is why all of the scenery through the blurry windows looks familiar. “Alright, can I go with you?” “Of course. In fact, I could definitely use your help.” I smile, then feel the gentle shift of the Bounty coming to a stop. As it lowers to the ground, Jay jumps up and pulls a dirty jacket off of the arm of the sofa. “You coming?” I am still getting used to moving around without a body, so it takes me a couple of tries to get off of the couch. When the bridge off of the ship finally settles into the deep snow on the ground, Jay gestures over his shoulder to me. "C'mon. I need your help." "With what?" "Well, to start with, which tree is it?" I look around for a minute before finding the ornately carved symbol that marks the hidden door. Drifting over to it, I call out, "This one." Jay runs over, pulls the door open, and slips a flashlight out of his pocket. "Alright," he begins, if there were any spare parts lying around, where would they be?" The beam of the flashlight drifts around the room, and I shudder as it touches the metal table. As Jay's foot gently taps against each decaying board of the floor, his breathing becomes louder and louder. "Gah, this place gives me the creeps. Zane, why would your dad live in a tree instead of a house like a normal person?" I smile. "Well, do you really think he sounds like a normal person? I mean, he built me, and I am certainly far from normal." "D'ya think he built any more Nindroids?" I have never thought of this, but I do not remember any others. "Not that I know of. As much as I can remember, it was just me, my father, and my falcon." "Ah, that's cool. So, wh-AHHH!" Jay trips over a large chunk of metal on the ground, sending him headlong into a painting on the wall. His screams are followed by the rip of the canvas being torn. “Yikes, I hope that wasn’t an important painting. Hey, what’s this button?” He flags me over towards him, and I see that there is a small red button where the painting ripped. “Dare me to push it?”  
Chapter 6:  
Before I can think again, I jam my finger onto the small red button. It depresses into the wall with a tiny *click*, and I instinctively brace myself in case it decides to blow up. When it’s clear that that’s not going to happen, I look around to see if anything in the room has changed. At first, everything looks the same, but soon, I notice that a segment of the wall is slowly sliding to the side. Once it opens wide enough, a giant black case catches my eye. “Dude, what’s that? Do ya think there could be some parts in there?" Zane floats over to it, obviously just as curious as me. "I do not know," he responds, "I did not even know that this compartment was here. There is only one way to find out for sure..." "Way ahead of you." I stoop down, grab the case by the handle, and pull until it comes out of the wall. I kneel down, unlatch the lid, slide it off, and gasp at the contents. “What is it, Jay?” I look back into the case, just to make sure I’m not hallucinating. “Dude, it’s...well, come see for yourself.” Zane's shocked reaction matches mine, because in the case, eyes closed, is a brown-haired Nindroid in a plain white kimono. "Zane, who...who is this?" He stares for a few seconds, before murmuring, "I do not know." Well, we're not gonna learn anything by just standing here staring, so I crouch down, untie the sash on the kimono, and flip open the chest panel. Zane, watching intensely, nods at me as I reach for the power switch on the circuit board. Once I click it into the "on" position, I jump back and brace myself. The Nindroid in the case whirrs insistently, but makes no motion. Nervously, I reach for him to turn the switch back off, but to my surprise, his gloved hand stirs gently, as if to push me away. Slowly but surely, his eyelids flutter sleepily open, revealing his brown eyes. As he looks around, I decide to help him into a sitting position. Now that we're sitting face to face, he gives off a quizzical expression, then tries out his voice. "Wh-e-re am I-I-I? He immediately stops when he realizes how cracked and scratchy he sounds, and I give him what I hope is an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, we'll figure everything out soon enough. Here, this might help." Before he can react, I reach for his chest panel, which is still hanging open, and flick the switch labelled "Memory". I give him a moment to let everything come back to him, then question, "Better? Oh, I almost forgot." I turn a small dial, which should hopefully restore his voice. "Alright, do you remember anything now?"  
Chapter 7:  
(AN: Yes, I know all too well that Zane's father is alive. Let's just pretend.)  
I look over at Zane. Man, this has to be a shock to him, that he actually has a brother after thinking he had no family left for all those years... I'm broken out of my thoughts by Zane pressing forward with a question. “Who are you?” I turn to him, but the Nindroid in the case does not react. I look at him. “Can you hear him?” “Hear who?” That’s what I thought. He can’t hear Zane while Zane is like this. I start thinking about this, but I’m jostled back to reality by Zane pushing me to ask the boy who he is. I turn back to him. “Oh, by the way, I’m Jay. Who are you?” He smiles, then replies, “Collin. Collin Julien. Nice to meet you.” I notice that his speech is much looser than Zane’s, much more relaxed. “Collin, huh? Well, I guess I’d better explain what I know. Do you know anyone named Zane?” At this, he tenses up, as if he’s remembering something unpleasant. When he notices me watching his discomfort, he relaxes again, then says, “Sorta. I was deactivated right before his activation. I was built to be a lab assistant, and I was helping the guy who built me with building Zane. I guess you could say he was kind of like my little brother, but like I said, I never got to actually meet him.” Well, this is interesting. “So, do you have any idea what you’re doing here?” He looks down sadly. “No. Where’s Dr. Julien? I could ask him.” I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth. Who wants to wake up after who knows how long, just to hear that the only person you ever knew was dead? I look away, then say, “He’s--not here right now.” He looks up at me, smiling again. “Alright, well, you wanna hang out until he gets back?” "Nah. You can come with us, though, if you want." He glances confusedly at me. "Us?" Right, I forgot. He can't see Zane. "Ah...long story. I'll explain on the way." I offer a hand to help Collin out of where he has lain still for so long. As he pulls himself to his feet, he struggles to find balance. He nearly falls several times, before finally grinning at me as he plants his black boots confidently in a standing position. “Got it,” he muses, releasing my hand. When he lets go, his leather glove falls to the floor, and I jump back at what lies underneath. The machinery of his hand is completely exposed, and I can see every motor, every gear, every piece. Sparks fly out of his fingertips as he flexes his fingers. He stares at the sight, clearly surprised, for a moment, before laughing uneasily, like he’s forcing it. “Heh, almost forgot about that. Lab accident. So, about this ‘us’ business. What’d you mean? As far as I can tell, you’re the only one here. And how did you know about Zane? Where is he? Where’s Dr. Julien?” “Whoah, whoah, settle down. I said I would explain, and I will. Just give me a chance.” I take a deep breath, ready to deliver the bad news. “Alright, I’ll tell you. Just...don’t shoot the messenger. Dr. Julien is dead, and he has been for awhile.” He stares at me, his brown eyes bright with surprise. “And?” He presses me. “And...I’m a ninja, and so is Zane. We train and fight together, that’s how I know him. He’s just about my best friend.” His eyes narrow and his brows furrow, as if he doesn’t trust me. “And I know this must sound crazy, but he’s actually here right now. He’s...” A lump forms in my throat, but I sneak my words around it. “He’s kind of...dead...at the moment. He’s here, though. I guess you can’t see him, but he’s here.” 

Chapter 8: 

Collin shakes his head, still trying to grasp everything I told him on the short, frosty walk back to the Bounty. “I just--don’t get it. You’re telling me that you’re a....” “Ninja? Yeah. So’s your brother.” At the word “brother”, he tenses up. “He’s not my brother.” “But earlier, you called him your br-” “Not. My. Brother.” I stare at him, confused. “O...kay...not your brother. Anyway, do you know why you were deactivated and put away?” “No,” he snaps back, “and I’d rather not talk about it.” I can tell that he’s starting to get really irritated, so I decide to shut up and stop asking questions. “So,” he smiles, calming down, “Where did you say we were going, again?” I grin. “See for yourself,” I chuckle, gesturing to the massive ship looming ahead. “Whooooah. You live here?” “Well, you live in a tree.” He lightens up a bit at this, shaking off the last bit of anger and confusion, and turns back to me. “So, Jay, I haven’t heard you say anything about yourself. Where’re you from?” “Ah, nowhere special. My parents own a scrapyard in a little village about 40 miles out of Ninjago city. That’s how I got into inventing, which is how I met Sensei.” Y’know, it’s funny. I’ve always been embarrassed about growing up in a scrapyard, but if I hadn’t, my life would never be as amazing as it is. I mean, I’ve done things that most people couldn’t even imagine. I’ve seen things that even I don’t understand. When we finally reach the ship, I flip up onto the deck, put down the ladder for Collin, and wait for Zane. When Collin reaches the top of the ladder, he continues our conversation. “A scrapyard? Cool. So, what kinds of things have you built?” “Well, most recently? A new body for Zane.” “Oh, that’s...nice. Hey, I bet I could help you. After all, I was Dr. Julien’s lab assistant when he built Zane, right?” “Oh, would you be willing to do that? That’d be so awesome of you.” “Of course I would, it’s not like there’s really anything else I could do.” As he steps off of the ladder and onto the deck, I pull the ladder up. “Well, everyone’s probably training right now, so if you want, we can go back and get whatever parts we’re gonna need to finish up. I’m almost done, but I’ve been having trouble with a few important things. That’s how I found you, poking around looking for parts and blueprints.” Suddenly, Collin freezes in his tracks and turns a 180. “Yeah, we definitely need to go back. I left something very important behind.” “Well, don’t you want to come in for a little? Get warmed up before we head back ou-” “Now.” “Uh, okay. If it’s that important, I guess we can go back now. Zane, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” “Thank you, Jay. I do need to rest for a little, if you are sure that you do not need me to go with you.” “Yeah, I’m sure.” Collin stares at me, since to him, it looks like I’m talking to empty space. With that, I pull the ladder back down, jump to the ground, and wait for Collin. A few minutes later, we arrive back at the hollow tree. “Alright, Jay, grab that box over there. There should be some important parts in it. Look around for anything else helpful. The blueprints are in the desk drawer and on the corkboard. I’ll be back out in a minute, I have to get something from another room.” With that, he slides a door open and disappears into the adjacent room. I briefly wonder what he might be getting, and why it was so important that we retrieve it immediately. When I approach the box that he pointed out, sure enough, there are some really good parts in there. Gears of every shape and size, brand-new motors, and enough wire to wrap around a small country. “Hey, Collin,” I call out, my voice echoing through the house and ricocheting off the walls, “Since there’s really no point in you staying here, wanna move in onto the Bounty?” 

Chapter 9:

Collin pokes his head around the corner, his eyes shining with delight. “You mean it? I can move in?” “You got it. Grab whatever you’re gonna need while we’re here, I don’t want to spend too much more time out in that snow. “On it.” He bolts back into the room, and I hear him rummaging around in a chest of some sort. While I wait for him, I grab a moth-eaten burlap sack that’s hanging from the handle of a dented shovel, crouch next to the box of parts, and begin shoving what I need into the bag. “Hey, Jay?” Collin calls out. “Yeah?” “You ever gonna tell me what happened to Zane?” I pause for a moment, before retaliating, “You ever gonna tell me what happened to you?” “Sure, but I asked you first.” I can practically hear him grinning cheekily with this reply, and I can’t help chuckling. “Fair point. Alright, I guess you win this round. Um...honestly? Not entirely sure what happened. What I do know is that he was kidnapped by a snake-person named Pythor while he was looking for this robotic falcon that Dr. Julien built-” “Oh, yeah, I remember the falcon. I helped sketch out the original blueprints. Sorry for interrupting. Please, continue.” “Anyway, we came here, to the tree, to look for him, but he had already been reprogrammed. Kai, one of the other guys who lives on the ship, fell out of a tree and accidentally killed Zane. Somehow, through some way that he refuses to talk about, he came back and kicked Pythor’s butt.” “Cool. So now what? He doesn’t have a body? Is that why you’re building one for him?” “Bingo. Zane’s my best friend, and I would do just about anything to help him.” When I’m satisfied with the assortment of parts in the now bulging bag, I stand up, walk to the room that Collin is in, and push the door open to reveal a small, scantily furnished area. The four walls, with once-white paint aged to a lackluster yellow, hold only a beaten-up mattress on the floor, a sadly flickering oil lamp, a threadbare armchair (minus a leg), and a heavy oak chest, which Collin is quietly digging through. It’s a sad sight, but I remind myself that the house has been abandoned for quite some time. “Hey.” Collin jumps, clearly surprised by my presence in the room. “Whoa, you scared me there,” he laughs, before kneeling back in front of the chest. “Ah, here’s what I was looking for,” he says, holding up the most beautiful book I’ve ever laid my eyes on. It’s about two inches thick, bound in ornately stamped brown leather. The metal clasp is etched with all sorts of intricate designs, and even the lock is decorated. “Wow, that’s nice.” He grins. “Thanks, I actually did all of the patterns on it myself.” “Well, you’re a great artist.” “Heh, thanks. And, you know what?” “Hm?” “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to help Zane.” As he says this, I hear a vexatious catch in his voice that throws me off. Something about him has struck me as not quite right since we found him, but I decide to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

Chapter 10:

“Alright, so I told you what happened to Zane. Your turn. What happened to you?” The grin fades from his face, and he stares solemnly at his hand. “Oh, sorry. You don’t have to say if you don’t want-” “No, it’s alright. Short answer? Lab accident. Long answer? Really big explosion that nearly killed Doc Julien and myself. I was in charge of mixing the acid for some batteries, and I managed to heat it up too much.” I didn’t just mean about the hand, but I’m not going to pressure him into talking about it any more than he wants to. Clearly uncomfortable with the topic, he tries to change it. “So, Jay,” he says, as we walk out the door and into the biting cold, “How many people do you live with?” I pause and count on my fingers. “Six. There’s Zane, Kai, and Cole, who’re ninjas like me. Then there’s Sensei, our teacher, Nya, Kai’s sister and the most perfect girl in the world, and Cal, the housekeeper.” “Wow, that’s a lot of people. Are you sure there’s going to be enough room for me?” I hadn’t thought about this before, but it should be alright. “Definitely. There are 3 bedrooms. Cal and Nya have one, Sensei has one, and we have the other. Since Zane doesn’t have a body at the moment, he doesn’t need a bed. You can have his until I finish his new body, and then you can sleep in the game room. The couch folds into a bed.” “Sounds like a plan. Do you think everyone’ll be alright with me living there?” Another thing I didn’t think about. I’m sure the other guys will be fine, and Nya is friendly to everyone. Cal can be a bit volatile, but if she doesn’t want Kai to act on his threat to fire her, she’ll keep her mouth shut. Sensei probably won’t care, as long as Collin manages to stay out of our way during training and doesn’t mind cooking every once in awhile. “For sure.” “Wow. I just- I can’t get over the fact that I might finally have a second chance at life.”

Chapter 11:  
After we once again make the chilly trek back home, Collin introduces himself to all the occupants of the Bounty. Everybody glances quizzically at his robotic hand when he extends it to greet them except Cal, but I doubt she was paying attention. Aside from the ornate notebook, Collin brought nothing with him, so there’s really no actual moving in for him to do. After initial introductions, everybody goes their separate ways. Kai and Cole fight on their favorite video game, Lloyd complains that they’re hogging the TV, Cal goes to clean the bathroom for the third time today, and Nya works on her Samurai X armor. I’m a bit annoyed by the fact that nobody seems to care about our new housemate, but it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it. Since nobody else will bother to talk to Collin, I decide that I will. “So,” I say, leading him back to our bedroom, “tell me about yourself. Likes, dislikes, quirks, anything at all.” He climbs up onto the bunk bed and takes a moment to think. “Well,” he says, breaking the silence after a couple of minutes, “I really enjoy metalworking and bookbinding, as you can probably tell from my notebook.” “Yeah, I noticed. How did you get into that?” He smiles, then explains, “Well, the metalworking is pretty obvious, considering I was built to be a lab assistant and all.” I chuckle a bit. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense, but how about the bookbinding?” “Well, the Doc was getting frustrated that he could never seem to keep all of his notes in one place. I really wanted to help him, so I studied some of the books that were laying around, and looked at their binding. Then, I took an old leather lab apron and used it to bind his notes together. I really enjoyed it, so I guess it kind of stuck as a hobby. Most of the books that you saw back at my old house were bound by yours truly.” At this, I detect a note of pride in his smooth, strangely calming voice. “Wow, that’s cool. So, you enjoyed making Doctor Julien happy?” “Eh, it was what I was made to do. I kind of stopped caring about him when-” Then, he suddenly stopped. “When what?” I question. “When none of your business,” he snaps back. Something isn’t right about Collin.


End file.
